Traveling cleaner with floor sweeping nozzle for textile machine rooms



May 14, 1963 A. H. BAHNSON, JR., ETAL 3,089,176

TRAVELINGCLEANER WITH FLOOR SWEEPING NOZZLE FOR TEXTILE MACHINE ROOMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 12, 1958 IN VENTOR S r H J E n, m w fw Mi am W WSJ Qe m 3 A; Y B

May 14, 1963 A. H. BAHNSON, JR, ETAL 3,089,176

TRAVELING CLEANER WITH FLOOR SWEEPING NOZZLE FOR TEXTILE MACHINE ROOMS Filed June 12, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Agnew HBaJvnson Jn James KIPIJ)JI".

BY km JJW & PM

ATTORNEYS May 14, 1963 A. H. BAHNSON, JR.. ETAL 3,089,176

TRAVELING CLEANER WITH FLOOR SWEEPING NOZZLE FOR TEXTILE MACHINE ROOMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 12, 1958 y 1963 A. H. BAHNSON, JR.. ETAL 3,089,176

TRAVELING CLEANER WITH FLOOR SWEEPING E MACHINE ROOMS NOZZLE FOR TEXTIL 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 12, 1958 INVENTOR llllll ll MIM H or m .K m wa May 14, 1963 A. H. BAHNSON, JR. ETAL 3,089,176

TRAVELING CLEANER WITH FLOOR SWEEPING NozzLE FOR TEXTILE MACHINE ROOMS Filed. June 12, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 llllll' I 5 i N I I U WWW May 14, 1963 A. H. BAHNSON, JR.. ETAL 3,

' TRAVELING CLEANER WITH FLOOR SWEEPING NOZZLE FOR TEXTILE MACHINE ROOMS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 12, 1958 INVENTORS ames F K013,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,089,176 TRAVELING CLEANER WITH FLOOR SWEEPING NOZZLE FOR TEXTILE MACHINE ROOMS Agnew H. Bahnson, In, and James F. King, Jr., Winston- Salem, N.C.; said Bahnson assignor to Katherine King Bahnson, Winston-Salem, N.C., and said King assignor to The Bahnson Company, Winston-Salem, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed June 12, 1958, Ser. No. 741,573 9 Claims. (Cl. 153'12) The present invention relates to traveling cleaners for use in cleaning off textile machinery and more particularly to cleaners of the pneumatic type adapted to travel .along a trackway located at a level above the machinery and blow towards the same with streams of air which clear off the exposed surfaces of the machinery. The traveling cleaner may also include arrangements wherein streams of air are directed towards the overhead and ceiling for also blowing off any lint which may tend to collect thereon.

The lint which is blown oif the machinery and other places where it may tend to accumulate usually falls upon the floor and hence presents a problem in removal in order that the room in which the machinery is located may be kept reasonably free from lint accumulation. If the lint which collects upon the floor is not removed, normal air currents in the room, and the air currents in duced by the traveling cleaner itself, tend to blow the lint about and cause a considerable amount to become redeposited on the machinery and to become fouled in the textile strands being worked. Accumulations of lint on the floor can be removed by manual sweeping but this is not only costly because of the labor involved but is not entirely adequate since it is most difficult to reach floor areas which lie within the framework of the machines themselves.

It has been proposed to install automatic equipment for cleaning off the floor areas in which streams of air are directed along the floor in such manner as to cause the lint to be blown across the floor under the machines to one wall of the room where it can then be collected automatically. Such a machine is described in US. Patent No. 2,758,041 granted August 7, 1956 to W. F. Denning. However, one disadvantage with this type of equipment is that a separate installation is required for each machine. Consequently, in a room with possibly as many as twenty four spinning frames, for example, the total cost of the equipment for cleaning the floor would be quite high;

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved and more economical arrangement for automatic floor sweeping and the objective is attained, generally speaking, by providing an overhead traveling cleaner with a duct which extends downwardly along a side of the textile machine such as a spinning frame and terminates in a nozzle located as close as practical to the floor, the direction of the nozzle being such as to blow a stream of air along the floor and generally transverse to the line of travel of the overhead cleaner along the machine. Since it is customary to so arrange the overhead cleaner that it travels along a group of machines in a particular room, it is evident that the entire job of keeping the floor clean under all machines of any particular group can be accomplished with one unit of equipment.

In a spinning room for example, each spinning frame includes a cylinder of comparatively large diameter which extends for the length of the frame in the so-called underframe portion. This cylinder is used to drive the tapes which in turn drive the spindles, and the cylinder itself.

is usually driven by an electric motor arranged at one end of the frame. Rotation of the cylinder tends to set up a natural circulation of air in the underframe which results in air currents that flow laterally of the cylinder axis along the floor. Such air currents will of course have some beneficial floor sweeping elfect at least in the area covered by the frame itself and it is natural that one would wish to augment those currents rather than oppose them in setting up a special floor cleaning nozzle on an overhead traveling cleaner. However, in any given spinning room all of the cylinders in the frames probably do not rotate in the same direction, and consequently the lateral direction of how of natural air currents along the floor and induced by cylinder rotation may well reverse in relation to the path of travel of the overhead cleaner along a row of frames. This would be particularly true where the head ends of adjacent frames in a row, i.e. the ends where the cylinder driving motor are located, are placed back-to back. Consequently one important aspect of the present inventive concept resides in an arrangement whereby the direction of the air delivered by the floor cleaning nozzle is not fixed but rather is made to reverse through each time the nozzle occupies a position such that it would oppose rather than augment the natural air current induced by the rotating tape driving cylinder of the frame when traveling along that particular frame. As indicated, a 180 reversal of the floor sweeping nozzle is required when the overhead cleaner in passing along a row of spinning frames crosses the alley between the heads of adjacent machines with cylinders rotating in relative opposite directions. Another situation requiring a 180 reversal of the floor sweeping nozzle arises when the overhead cleaner reaches the end of one row of spinning frames and makes a 180 turn to come back over the spinning frames in the adjacent row, the cylinders in the end frames on adjacent rows being assumed to rotate in the same relative direction.

In addition to the two specific conditions which have been mentioned, there may well be other conditions prevailingin the room and along the path of travel of the cleaner which would make it desirable to reverse the blowing direction of the floor sweeping nozzles. Thus the invention makes it possible to better coordinate the direction of air from the floor sweeping nozzles with any natural air movement in the room such, for example, as might be created by an air conditioning system. Furthermore, there may be certain obstructions at the floor level which would make it desirable to temporarily reverse the blowing direction from the floor sweeping nozzles so that they would not blow against the obstruction. Consequently, another object of the invention is to provide for a 180 reversal of the blowing direction from the floor sweeping nozzles whenever the need therefor arises as the cleaner travels along the textile machines.

Another aspect of the inventive conceptis to arrange depending floor sweeping nozzles at opposite sides of the spinning frame and which are supported by the same traveling cleaner, and .to coordinate the same so that both deliver streams of air in the same direction laterally of the spinning frames and both simultaneously reverse through 180" as the occasion requires.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a suitable embodiment thereof and from the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating a typical layout for twelve spinning frames in a room and provided with an overhead traveling cleaner to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the adjacent head end portions of two spinning frames and of the traveling cleaner;

FIG. 3 is a view in end elevation of the spinning frame and overhead traveling cleaner with portions in section;

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation at an enlarged scale of the lower part of the traveling cleaner showing one of the floor sweeping nozzles and the means by which the air issuing from the nozzle is reversed through an angle of 180;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the elevational view shown in FIG. 4 and taken at right angles thereto on line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the lower portion of the overhead traveling cleaner showing one of the floor sweeping nozzles and the deflector plate which is used to reverse the direction of air tlow therefrom, the view being drawn to a somewhat smaller scale than FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 in side elevation of the lower portion of the traveling cleaner and one floor sweeping nozzle;

FIG. 8 is a View similar to FIG. 7 and taken at right angles to the latter, and with the cover plate for the actuating mechanism for the air reversing deflector plate in the nozzle removed;

FIG. 9 is a somewhat schematic view of the depending floor sweeping nozzles at opposite sides of the spinning frame showing the direction in which the air issues therefrom when the tape driving cylinder of the spinning frame rotates in one direction;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 and showing the direction in which the air issues from the nozzle when the tape driving cylinder of the spinning frame rotates in the opposite direction;

FIG. 11 is an electrical schematic diagram showing one suitable arrangement for actuating the air deflector plate in each of the floor sweeping nozzles from one position to another in order to reverse the direction of air flow from the nozzles whenever the need therefor arises.

FIG. '12 is a view in central vertical section illustrating a modified construction for the dual nozzle and the deflector or damper plate therefor which controls the direction of air discharge; and

FIG. 13 is a horizontal section taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12.

Withreference now to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the mill room indicated generally by numeral 11} includes twelve spinning frames arranged in three parallel rows, there being four frames arranged in end-to-end relation in each row. The tape driving cylinder 11 of each frame is driven by an electric motor 12. The cylinders 11 of the six frames F in the left half of the room as viewed in FIG. 1 all rotate in the same direction and the natural air currents generated by cylinder rotation have the same direction along the floor transverse to the longitudinal axes of the frames as indicated by the arrows 13. The cylinders 11 of the six frames F in the right half of the room as viewed in FIG. 1 also all rotate in the same direction and the natural air currents generated by cylinder rotation have the same direction along the floor transverse to the longitudinal axes of the frames as indicated by the arrows 14. However, the natural flow air currents 13 in the left half of the room have a direction which is opposite to that of the natural flow air currents 14 in the right half of the room.

In order to clean ofi the frames, an overhead traveling cleaner 15 is arranged to be moved along a track 16 which extends longitudinally over each row of frames. As the cleaner reaches the end of one row of frames, it passes over to the same end of the adjacent row of frames through a 180 bend in the track and then passes along said adjacent frame row in the opposite direction. When the cleaner 15 reaches the end of the end-most frame of the outer row and comes to the end 16a of the track, suitable limit switch mechanism, not illustrated, is actuated which causes the cleaner to reverse itself and travel in the opposite direction until the opposite end 16b of the track is reached whereupon the cleaner 15 is stopped and restarted in the opposite direction by similar limit switch mechanism. Instead of reversing the cleaner 15 at each track end, the two track ends may be connected through another section of track thus establishing a closed loop for the track whereby the cleaner may then always travel in the same direction.

In accordance with the present invention, the traveling cleaner 15 is provided with air outlets or nozzles located horizontally as close to the floor as is practical and which deliver horizontally directed air streams along the floor transverse to the longitudinal axis of the frames. Moreover, the arrangement is such that the floor sweeping air streams delivered by the nozzles will always have a direction 'which is the same as that of natural air currents produced along the floor by cylinder rotation on the particular frame along which the traveling cleaner is then passing. Thus the air streams delivered from the horizontal nozzles close to the floor augment, rather than oppose, the natural air currents along the floor induced by cylinder rotation and hence provide a superior floor sweeping action.

Consequently, as the overhead cleaner 15 travels back and forth along the track 16 over the rows of frames F and F, the floor sweeping air streams delivered by the air nozzles in conjunction with the natural air currents induced by cylinder rotation will cause the lint on the floor in the left half of the room to be swept to the near side wall 101: of the spinning room, and similarly cause the lint on the floor in the right half of the room to be swept to the far side Wall 1%. If desired, suitable lint collection apparatus such as shown in FIG. 2 of the aforesaid Denning Patent No. 2,758,041 may be installed along the near and far 'walls 19a, 10b to automatically collect and remove the lint.

Reference is now made to FIGS. '2 and 3 which show the overhead traveling cleaner and spinning frame in somewhat more detail. In these views, the traveling cleaner is seen to be comprised of a motorized carriage 1'7 which is driven along the track 16, the latter being supported by the frames. Electric power for the driving motor on carriage 17 is supplied in conventional manner by electrically energized rails, not illustrated, which extend along the track 16, and collector shoes mounted on the carriage slide in contact with the rails. Positioned laterally outward from the carriage 17 and supported by the latter on horizontally extending steel tubings 18 are a pair of cylindrical casings 19. Each such casing contains a pair of centrifugal blowers 20, 21 at opposite ends thereof, and the rotary elements of these blowers in each casing are driven by an electric motor supported within the casing intermediate the two blowers. The scroll for one blower in each casing terminates in an outlet 22 and this scroll and outlet can be adjusted to any desired angular position so as to blow downwardly toward a desired place on the frame, or to blow upward against the overhead, or the scroll can be made to rotate or oscillate if desired. The particular details of the cleaner itself do not constitute any part of the inventive concept since different cleaner constructions may be utilized. However, a detailed description of the cleaner which has been described can be found in a co-pending application, Serial No. 570,895 filed March 12, 19-56 in the name of James P. King, In, now US. Patent No. 2,976,557 granted March 28, 1961.

The scrolls for the other blowers in casings 19 terminate in trunks or conduits 23, 23' which extend downwardly along opposite sides of the spinning frame F with sufficient running clearance. Each of these conduits terminates in oppositely facing, horizontally disposed air nozzles 24, 24 which direct air outwardly therefrom along the floor transverse to the longitudinal axis of the spinningframes. At the lower end of each conduit there is provided an electrically operated damper or deflector plate mechanism 25 which serves to deliver the air into one nozzle or the other of each pair of nozzles to the end that while the cleaner is traveling along a spinning frame, one air nozzle from one depending conduit directs its flow of air inwardly along the floor towards the underneath portion of the frame in the same direction as the natural air current flow induced by rotation of the tape driving cylinder. The other air nozzle from the other depending conduit directs its air across the aisle so as to sweep the floor under the next row of frames.

As indicated above, the air discharge from the floor sweeping nozzles is always arranged so as to agree in direction with the natural air current induced in the underneath portion of the frame by rotation of the tape driving cylinder 11. This is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. In FIG. 9 the tape driving cylinder 11 is seen to rotate in a clockwise direction and the natural air current flow induced by cylinder rotation has the direction indicated by arrow 13. Consequently, when passing along this frame, the inner air nozzle 24' from depending conduit 23 will be open and the outer air nozzle 24 from depending conduit 23 will be open. Consequently, the air delivered by the air nozzles 24, 24 as indicated by the arrows 26 will coincide with the direction of air flow 13 along the floor induced by cylinder rotation.

In FIG. the tape driving cylinder 11 is seen to rotate in a counterclockwise direction and the natural air current flow induced by cylinder rotation has the direction indicated by arrow 14. Consequently, when passing along this frame, the inner air nozzle 24 from depending conduit 23 will be open and the outer air nozzle 24 from depending conduit 23 will be open. Consequently, the air delivered by the air nozzles 24, 24' as indicated by the arrows 26 will likewise coincide with the direction of air flow along the floor induced by cylinder rotation.

In accordance with the present invention, means. are provided for operating the damper mechanisms 25 located in the lower part of each of the conduits 23, 23' so that the air discharge is switched from one nozzle to the other when the occasion for reversal of air flow arises. With reference once again to FIG. 2 and considering the cleaner to be moving from left to right, it will be seen that when the cleaner reaches the end of the frame F along which it is presently passing, it will be necessary to reverse the direction of air flow from the floor sweeping nozzles since the tape driving cylinder on the next frame F in the row to be passed rotates in the opposite direction, relative to the traveling cleaner. This is because the head ends of the two frames, i.e. the ends where the driving motors are located, are disposed backto-back. Consequently, while the tape driving cylinders on the two frames are driven in the same direction when viewed from the head end, they have opposite directions of rotation relative to the traveling cleaner.

Another situation which requires operation of the damper mechanisms to switch air discharge from one to the other floor sweeping nozzles is when the traveling cleaner reaches the end of the endmost frame in one row and passes around the 180 bend in the track 16 so as to come back in the opposite direction along the frames in the adjacent row. As the traveling cleaner executes the 180 turn, it too turns through an angle of '1-80" and hence it then becomes necessary to switch the air discharge from one nozzle to the other since the natural air currents induced by cylinder rotation of the endmost frame in said adjacent row have the same direction as that produced by the endrnost frame in the previous row passed over by the traveling cleaner.

Various arrangements may be provided for switching over from one floor sweeping nozzle to the other and in the present embodiment, an electrical arrangement is provided. This is shown schematically in FIG. 111. Here it is seen that provision is made for temporarily closing the contacts 28a, 28b of an electrical switch S which is mounted on the carriage 17 in such position that the switch contacts are actuated to closed position by cams C located on the track at the required positions. Thus for the spinning room layout as shown in FIG. 1, such cams C for actuating the switch contacts to closed position for a limited period would be required at the track bends located at the opposite ends of the room and also at the alley between the facing head ends of the three. rows of frames.

' When the traveling cleaner passes any one of the cams C, the contacts 28a, 28b of the carriage mounted switch S are closed temporarily. This completes an energizing circuit extending from a source of power supply designated by terminals 29' to solenoids 30, 30 which have their armatures 30a mechanically coupled to air direction control dampers 25 located at the bottom of the conduits 23, 2'3. The arrangement is such that each time the solenoids 30, 30 are energized, the dampers 25 are shifted from one position to the other thus closing off one air noozle at the bottom of each conduit and simultaneously opening the other nozzle.

The structural details at the lower portion of each conduit are shown in more detail in FIGS. 4-8. There it will be seen that to the lower portion of each depending air conduit 23, 23' which may, for example, have a circular configuration and which may be made of flexible material suchas rubber, is attached a casing 31 made of sheet metal and which has such a configuration as to provide a transition from the circular passageway through the conduit to one of rectangular configuration in the casing. The lower end of each casing 31 terminates in the two oppositely directed air nozzles 24, 24 which are apart, and the common axis through the nozzles is arranged normal to the longitudinal axis of the spinning frame F, F as previously explained. Pivotally mounted within the casing 31 adjacent the junction of the latter with the two op positely disposed air nozzles is the U-shaped damper member 25 which is so arranged as to occupy the position shown in full lines in FIG. 6 or the position shown in broken lines. As is evident, in either position, the bottom plate portion of the damper 25 will serve to block off one or the other of the entrances to the air nozzles, thus delivering all of the air from conduit 23, 23' outwardly through one air nozzle or the other.

For actuating the damper 25, an overcenter mechanism is utilized, the armature 30a of the solenoid being coupled to the overcenter mechanism in such manner that as solenoid 30 is energized, the armature 39a is pulled up ward thus throwing the overcenter mechanism from one position to the other. The overcenter mechanism is com-i prised of an oscillatable swing plate 32 which is mounted on and secured fast to one of the pivot shafts 33 which support the damper plate member 25. The swing plate 32 is provided with two spaced pins 34, 34 which are so arranged as to'lie in the path of and to be engaged in alternation by projections 35, 35 on the lower end of a lift rod 36 which is pivotally connected at its upper end 36a to the armature member 30a of solenoid 30.

An elongated tension spring 37 is anchored at its upper end to a pin projection '38 at the upper side of solenoid 30, an dits lower end is connected to a similar pin 39 projecting horizontally from the lower end of swing plate 32. A second and somewhat shorter tension spring 40 is anchored at its upper end to a pin 41 projecting horizontally from the upper end of swing plate 32, and its lower end is fastened to a pin projection 42 at the rear of lift rod 36. Spring 37 functions to carry the swing plate 32 to each of its extreme positions after it passes by the dead center position, and spring 40 serves to maintain the projections 35, 35' on lift rod 36 in contact with the pins 34, 34' on swing plate 32.

Operation of the damper 25 is as follows:

Each time the traveling cleaner reaches one of the cams C on track 16, contacts 28a, 28b of switch S are closed for a brief period determined by the length of the horizontal high portion of the cam. Closure of the switch contacts completes the energizing circuit for both solenoids 30 causing their respective armatures 30a to be drawn upward, thus raising the respective lift rods 36 and causing the respective swing plates 32 to be rotated around the axis of the respective pivot shafts 33 for the respective damper or deflector members 25 thus to carry these plates from one position to the other and reverse the direction of air flow from nozzles 24 to 24, or vice versa. After the traveling cleaner passes one of the cams C, solenoids 30 become de-energized and remain so until the traveling cleaner reaches the next cam C. The solenoids are then re-energized, and the over-center mechanisms operate to move swing plates 32 and deflector members 25 to their other extreme positions thus again reversing the direction of air flow from the floor sweeping nozzles.

A modification of the dual nozzle structure is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Here it will be seen that the construction includes a drawn steel cylindrical cup 46 having a solid bottom 47 and an open, flanged top 48. The cylindrical side wall 49 of the cup is provided with diametrically opposite openings 50, 50' of essentially rectangular configuration constituting outlets for the air flowing downward through the conduit 23 and conduit 23. Over the steel cup 46 is provided a resilient boot 51 which can be made of any suitable flexible material such as polyvinyl chloride. The upper portion of the boot 51 and the upper portion of the cup wall 49 which it surrounds are both secured to the lower end of the conduit 23 and 23 by any suitable means such as a band 52. The boot 51 is provided with diametrically opposed discharge nozzles 53, 53' which coincide respectively with the openings 50, 50' in the side wall of cup 46. Use of the resilient boot 51 provides a padded bottom for the resilient conduits or trunks 2'3, 23.

Located within the cup 46 is a solenoid 54 that is mounted upon the bottom wall 47. This solenoid is of the type wherein the armature member 54a rotates about the armature axis through 180 each time it is energized rather than move rectilinearly of the axis as in the embodiment previously described. Attached to the upper end of armature 54a is an inverted L-shaped deflector member having a depending arcuately shaped baflie plate 55 the width of which is slightly greater than the width of one of the diametrically opposite openings 50', 50". As shown in 'FIG. 13, the axis of rotation of armature 54a and of the plate 55 coincide with the center of the cup side Wall 49, and the arrangement is such that each time the solenoid 54 is energized, armature 54a and baffle plate 55 rotate 180 from a position blocking outflow of air from one of the openings 50 and associated nozzle 53, as shown in FIG. 13, to a diametrically opposite position blocking outflow of air from the opening 50' and associated nozzle 53', or vice versa. If desired, the solenoid 54 may be enclosed by a dust excluding shield 56 in the form of an inverted cup that can also be secured to the bottom wall 47 of cup 46.

In conclusion it is desired to point out that while one practical embodiment of the inveniton has been described and illustrtaed it is evident that the specific constructions may be modified without, however, departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Different mechanical expedients may be usedto cause the air to be switched from one to the other of the oppositely facing stationary floor sweeping nozzles. Also, a single air conduit depending from the traveling cleaner could be used in lieu of the dual conduits illustrated.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for sweeping the floor of a textile room containing a plurality of elongated textile machines having tape driving cylinders arranged in end-to-end relation in a row and wherein the tape drivingcylinders on some adjacent machines rotate in opposite directions, comprising a track arranged longitudinally of and above said row of machines, a carriage adapted to move along said track, blower means supported by said carriage, a conduit extending from said blower means downwardly along the side of one of said machines and terminating adjacent the floor, air discharge nozzle means disposed at the lower end of said conduit, said nOZZle means being positioned to deliver air therefrom along the floor normal to the longitudinal axis of said machines, means for reversing the air delivery direction from said nozzle means through 180 and means controlling said reversing means in accordance with the direction of rotation of the tape driving cylinder of the particular machine about to be travelled over by said carriage and blower means so that the air discharged from said nozzle means and the natural air currents produced by rotation of the tape driving cylinder on said machine 'have the same direction 2. Apparatus for sweeping the floor of a textile room containing a plurality of elongated textile machines having tape driving cylinders arranged in end-to-end relation in a row and wherein the tape driving cylinders on adjacent machines rotate in opposite directions, comprising a track arranged longitudinally of and above said row of machines, a carriage adapted to move along said track,

lower means supported by said carriage, a conduit extending from said blower means downwardly along the side of one of said machines and terminating adjacent the floor, air discharge nozzle means disposed at the lower end of said conduit, said nozzle means being positioned to deliver air therefrom along the floor normal to the longitudinal axis of said machines and in the same direction as the natural air currents produced by rotation of the tape driving cylinder, means for reversing the air delivery direction from said nozzle means through and means disposed along said track between said adjacent machines and operated by movement of said carriage therealong for actuating .said reversing means.

3. Apparatus for sweeping the floor of a textile room containing a plurality of elongated textile machines arranged in end-to-end relation in a row, comprising a track arranged longitudinally of and above said row of machines, a carriage adapted to move along said track, a conduit extending from said blower means downwardly along the side of one of said machines and terminating adjacent the floor, air discharge nozzle means disposed at the lower end of said conduit, said nozzle means comprising a pair of stationary nozzles disposed apart and having an air delivery direction along the floor normal to the longitudinal axis of said machines, air directional control means cooperative with said conduit for shifting the air discharge therefrom from one to the other of said stationary nozzles, said air directional control means including a defletcor plate movable in alternation to a first position blocking air discharge from one of said nozzles to a second position blocking air discharge from the other of said nozzles, said deflector plate being mounted for rotational movement between said first and second positions, and solenoid means including a rotatable armature member secured to said deflector member for effecting movement thereof, and means including means located at any given point along the line of travel of said nozzle means between the opposite ends of said row of machines and cooperative with means on said carriage for actuating said solenoid means of said air directional control means.

4. Apparatus for sweeping the floor of a textile room containing a plurality of elongated textile machines arranged in end-to-end relation in a row, comprising a track arranged longitudinally of and above said row of machines, a carriage adapted to move along said track, blower means supported by said carriage, conduits extending from said blower means downwardly along opposite sides of one of said machines and terminating adjacent the floor, air discharge nozzle means disposed at the lower end of each said conduit, said nozzle means being positioned to deliver air therefrom in the same direction along the floor normal to the longitudinal axis of said machines, means for reversing the air delivery direction from said nozzle means through 180, and means located at any given point along the line of travel of said nozzle means between the opposite ends of said row of machines cooperative with means on said carriage for actuating said nozzle reversing means.

5. Apparatus for sweeping the floor of a textile room containing a plurality of elongated textile machines having tape driving cylinders arranged in end-to-end relation in a row and wherein the tape driving cylinders on adjacent machines rotate in opposite directions, comprising a track arranged longitudinally of and above said row of machines, a carriage adapted to move along said track, :blower means supported by said carriage, conduits extending from said blower means downwardly along opposite sides of one of said machines and terminating adjacent the floor, air discharge nozzle means disposed at the lower end of each said conduit, each said nozzle means comprising a pair of stationary nozzles disposed 180 apart and having a direction to deliver air along the floor normal to the longitudinal axis of said machines, air direction control means cooperative with each of said conduits for shifting the air discharge there from from one to the other of said stationary nozzles, the air from said nozzles being delivered in the same relative directional sense, and means including means located between said adjacent machines cooperative with means on said carriage for actuating said air directional control means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim wherein each of said air direction control means includes a deflector plate movable in alternation to a first position blocking air discharge from one of said nozzles and to a second position blocking air diischarge from the other of said nozzles.

7. Apparatus for sweeping the floor of a textile room containing a plurality of elongated textile machine having tape driving cylinders arranged in end-to-end relation in parallel rows comprising a track arranged longitudinally of and above said rows of machines, said track including reverse bends at the ends of said rows, a carriage adapted to move along said track and along said rows of machines in succession, blower means supported by said carriage, a conduit extending from said blower means downwardly along the side of one of said machines and terminating adjacent the floor, air discharge nozzle means disposed at the lower end of said conduit, said nozzle means comprising a pair of stationary nozzles disposed apart and having an air delivery direction along the floor normal to the longitudinal axis of said machines and in the same direction as the natural air currents produced by rotation of the tape driving cylinders of the machines, air direction control means cooperative with said conduit for shifting the air discharge from said conduit into one or the other of said nozzles, and means including means disposed at the ends of said rows of machines and cooperative with means on said carriage for actuating said air direction control means.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said means disposed at the ends of said rows of machines comprises an actuator for an electric switch, said switch being located on said carriage, and said switch serving to control energization of a solenoid the armature of which is coupled to said air direction control means.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said air direction control means is constituted by a deflector plate actuated by a first movement of said solenoid armature into a first position blocking air discharge from one of said nozzles and actuated :by the next movement of said solenoid armature into a second position blocking air discharge from the other of said nozzles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,234,446 Clark July 24, 1917 2,183,758 Walker Dec. 19, 1939 2,291,598 Lawrence Aug. 4, 1942 2,543,833 Clark Mar. 6, 1951 2,844,495 Long July 22, 1958 2,879,536 Denning Mar. 31, 1959 3,004,277 Allred Oct. 17, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES Advertisement of Parks-Cramer Co. in Textile World, March 1957, page 91. 

1. APPARATUS FOR SWEEPING THE FLOOR OF A TEXTILE ROOM CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED TEXTILE MACHINES HAVING TAPE DRIVING CYLINDERS ARRANGED IN END-TO-END RELATION IN A ROW AND WHEREIN THE TAPE DRIVING CYLINDERS ON SOME ADJACENT MACHINES ROTATE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, COMPRISING A TRACK ARRANGED LONGITUDINALLY OF AND ABOVE SAID ROW OF MACHINES, A CARRIAGE ADAPTED TO MOVE ALONG SAID TRACK, BLOWER MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID CARRIAGE, A CONDUIT EXTENDING FROM SAID BLOWER MEANS DOWNWARDLY ALONG THE SIDE OF ONE OF SAID MACHINES AND TERMINATING ADJACENT THE FLOOR, AIR DISCHARGE NOZZLE MEANS DISPOSED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID CONDUIT, SAID NOZZLE MEANS BEING POSITIONED TO DELIVER AIR THEREFROM ALONG THE FLOOR NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID MACHINES, MEANS FOR REVERSING THE AIR DELIVERY DIRECTION FROM SAID NOZZLE MEANS THROUGH 180* AND MEANS CONTROLLING SAID REVERSING MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE TAPE DRIVING CYLINDER OF THE PARTICULAR MACHINE ABOUT TO BE TRAVELLED OVER BY SAID CARRIAGE AND BLOWER MEANS SO THAT THE AIR DISCHARGED FROM SAID NOZZLE MEANS AND THE NATURAL AIR CURRENTS PRODUCED BY ROTATION OF THE TAPE DRIVING CYLINDER ON SAID MACHINE HAVE THE SAME DIRECTION. 